Steam heating apparatus



Patented Nov. 22, I898.

No. 6l4,658.

M. LEITCH. STEAM HEATING APPARATUS;

(Application filed June 3, 1897.)

(.No Model.)

Inventor.

Attorney.

TNE ucn'als FEYERS co, Pumnu'mc WASNINGTON, n. c

ilwrrnn STATES ATENT FFICE.

MEREDITH LEITCH, OF MEROHANTVILLE, NElV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR. TO THE IVARREN IVEBSTER & COMPANY, OF NEV JERSEY.

STEAM H EATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,658, dated November 22, 1898.

Application filed June 3, 1897. Serial No. 689,203. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MEREDITH Lnrron, of Merchantville, Camden county, State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Steam Heating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam heating apparatus; and it consists of the improvements which are fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

It is greatly desired that the temperature of steam-radiators should be subject to control, as the amount of heat desired varies with the conditions, such as the state of the weather, as well as with the temperament and physical condition of the occupants of the room or house. In an office-buildin g or hotel the amount of heat desired by some tenants or guests differs greatly from that desired by others; but as the conditions under which the heat is supplied are usually uniform it is not practical to regulate the temperature to suit these various desires.

It is the object of this invention to enable the temperature of a steam-radiator to be controlled to suit the desires of the occupants of the room, and as the temperature depends upon the volume of steam condensed I aecomplish this object bycontrollin g the amount of steam condensed in the radiator.

My invention is especially adapted to a one-pipe system, or one in which a single pipe is employed for supplying steam to the radiator and conveying the water of condensation therefrom, and may be used either with a pressure system in which the air is permitted to escape from the radiator or with a system in which the air is exhausted or drawn off from the radiator by a partial vacuum in an air-pipe communicating therewith.

In carrying out my invention instead of providing the radiator with a single air-outlet through which all of the air must escape or be drawn out I provide the radiator with a series of air-outlets located on different sections of the radiator and employ suitable valve devices for controlling these outlets, so that the air may be permitted to escape from or to be drawn out of a greater or less por tion of the radiator, according to the degree of temperature desired. By a proper operation of these valve devices the air may be permitted to remain in a greater or less portion of the radiator, and as the presence of this air in a portion of the radiator will prevent that portion from becoming filled with steam it is possible to control the amount of steam condensed in the radiator and the resulting temperature, as only that portion of the radiator from which the air is discharged will become filled with steam and fully heated up. The extent of the area of the radiator which is thus prevented from becoming filled with steam and heated up may be varied by .6 5 properly controlling the air-outlets, and thus the temperature of the radiator may be regulated.

I shall now refer to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a radiator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line a: x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a portion of a radiator, illustrating a modification and Fig. 7 5 4 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view on the line y y of Fig. 3.

A is an ordinary radiator made up of sections A, communicating at the base in the usual manner.

B is the usual feed-pipe communicating with the radiator for supplying steam thereto, and in the one-pipe system this feed-pipe B also acts as the return to carry off the water of condensation.

O is the air-pipe connected with the radiator for carrying oft the air and gases therefrom, and may be connected With a-suitable exhausting apparatus, such as an ejector, for the purpose of creating a partial vacuum in the air-pipe, and thus drawing the air and gases out of the radiator. Instead of connecting this air pipe O with the radiator at one point only, as is now usual, I employa series of connections with difierent sections of the radiator at different distances from the supply side, and by controlling these connections by suitable valves I am able to vary the point at which the air is discharged or exhausted.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the air-pipe C extends longitudinally across the radiator and is connected therewith at different points by branch connections 0 (J C C 0, each of which is controlled by a suitable valve D. By manipulating the valves D a greater or less portion of the radiator may be put in connection with the airpipe (3. Thus in the construction shown in Fig. 1 if the valves in the branches C C C", and C are closed and the valve in the branch 0 opened the air will escape only from the first section of the radiator, which will consequently become filled with steam. The air in the other sections of the radiator will not escape, and remaining therein will prevent the other portions of the radiator from becoming filled with steam and fully heated, and consequently only a small portion of the radiating-surface will be effective. If the valve in the connection C is opened, the air will escape from the next two sections of the radiator, which will likewise become filled with steam .and correspondinglyincrease the effective radiating-s11 rface. If the valve in the connection C is opened, the next three sections will be freed of air, and thus the effective radiating-surface may be increased or diminished, as desired. The branch C is shown connected with the outermost section of the radiator-J. 6., most distant from the point of supplyand consequently when the valve in that connection is opened the air may be discharged from the entire radiator, which may then become filled throughout with steam. Only one valve need be left open at a time.

111 the construction shown in Figs. 3 and at instead of connecting the pipe 0 with the radiator by a series of branch connections, each provided with a valve D, I have shown a modification, in which a series of independent pipes E E E E I lead to the different portions of the radiator from a multiple valve E in the pipe C, by means of which any one of the pipes E to E may be put in communication with the air-pipe C, so that by the operation of the single valve E the escape of the air from a greater or less portion of the radiator may be permitted, as in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a thermostatic valve F in the air-pipe O. This'is used to prevent the escape and waste of steam, and while desirable in those systems in which the air is drawn out of the radiator by a suction in the air-pipe C is not necessary to my invention.

The details of construction shown may be varied without departing from the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The combination with a steain-radiator, of an air-pipe, independent of the supply and return pipe, communicating with said radiator at a series of points at dilferent distances from the supply-inlet, through which the air contained in said radiator may escape into said independent air-pipe from a series of independent air-outlets, and valve devices for controlling the escape of air from the radiator to said air-pipe through said series of inclependent points of communication therewith.

2. The combination with a steam-radiator, of an air-pipe, independent of the supply and return pipe, communicating with said radiator at a series of points at different distances from the supply-inlet, through which the air contained in said radiator may escape into said independent air-pipe from a series of independent air-outlets, valve devices for con trolling the escape of air from the radiator to said air-pipe through said series of in dependent points of communication therewith, and a vacuum or suction crcatin g device communicating with said independent air-pipe to create a suction or partial vacuum therein.

3. The combination with a steam-radiator, of an air-pipe, independent of the supply and return pipe, communicating with said radiator at a series of points at different distances from the supply-inlet, through which the air contained in said radiator may escape into said independent air-pipe from a series of independent air-outlets, valve devices for controlling the escape of air from the radiator to said air-pipe through said series of independent points of communication therewith, a thermostatic valve in said air-pipe, and a vacuum or suction creating device communicating with said independent air-pipe to create a suction or partial vacuum therein.

4:- A steam-radiator composed of a series of upright receptacles or hollow sections communicating with one another in series at the base, a steam-supply pipe communicating with said base at one end and adapted to sup ply steam to all of said receptacles or sections in series, air-outlets from the end receptacles or sections of the series, independent air-outlets from intermediate sections or receptacles, and valve devices for controlling said airoutlets, whereby the escape of air from a greater or less portion of the radiator may be controlled.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

ME {EDITH LEITCH.

lVitnesses:

A. S. Wnnsrnn, DANIEL II LATIMER. 

